justxploring's Blog

Don't waste $8 to see the Texas Chain Saw Massacre at the theater.  I think the scariest movie would be a history of the Bush family tree.  OMG! I can hear that chain saw comin' right at me. It's cutting off my Left arm. There goes my freedom!  Heeeeelppppp!

 

http://www.hereinreality.com/familyvalues.html

Nothing important to write - no big political rant.  A thought came to me as I just washed my hands. I ran out of soap, so I reached into my shower to get a bottle of Target liquid body wash, (the one with extra moisturizers and shea butter) and poured a few ounces into the Soft Soap dispenser.  My hands smell wonderful and feel smooth.  However, does this mean they are still full of nasty germs? 

Notice how everything nowadays is antibacterial?  I wonder if the new generation won't have a strong immune system because they've been disinfected so much.  I remember eating dirt when I was a kid.  I was also thinking about the anti-germ supplies I have in my cabinet like Lysol that will kill e Coli.  The warning says not to swallow it, so I can't put any on my packaged spinach or my ground beef.  So what good will it do when I use it in the bathroom, but I eat infected food?  I guess that's so my toilet seat will be germ free when I need to run to it 20 times after eating a spinach salad and a hamburger for dinner.

I was also walking by the refrigerated section where Publix keeps the orange juice.  Ouch!  OJ is really expensive these days.  Maybe if they didn't have to make so many different cartons, it would cost less. I mean there was orange juice from concentrate, not from concentrate, low acid, with pulp, with added calcium, with added vitamins, and a new one "orange juice with fiber."  I suppose the thought of adding Metamucil to that refreshing morning glass might be a turn off, so they're doing it for us. I'm really not sure I like all this added invisible, tasteless stuff in my food or juice.  How do we know the government isn't adding something that will influence our vote? That's about the only way another Republican is getting into the White House in 2008.  Anyway, it can't be orange juice any more.  Orange juice is juice squeezed from an orange - case closed.  So if you start adding stuff to it, it has to be something else.

Calcium is also added into many things we eat, including bread, cereal, and juice. This practice has been growing over the past several years. I think I know the reason.  When I was a kid in school, the teachers wrote on blackboards and had to use chalk which is CaCO3 or or calcium carbonate.  Nobody uses blackboards any more.  Now think about it - there is a very high rate of osteoporosis in the United States and we consume an awful lot of calcium, so what's the deal? Osteoporosis is really from a high protein diet with a lot of meat and dairy products, but if the word leaks out, what are they going to do with all that chalk?

Well, I better make dinner since it's after 8.  I wonder if I need to rewash my hands, since I've been typing on my computer keyboard and I haven't sprayed it with any disinfectants lately. (although I am running anti-virus software.....groan)

I read a good article on www.Haaretz.com the site for the Ha'aretz Daily Newspaper Ltd 

I'd like to share it.  (These are not my words.) 

 

It is written by Bradley Burston called

 

A Special Place in Hell

 

Why the jihad is doomed

Even before the American Century drew to a formal close six years ago, the Age of Jihad had already taken its place.

The extraordinary triumph of radical Islam achieved its greatest victories without firing a single shot, hijacking a single jetliner, closing a single belt detonator.

Armed at first only with words, the world holy war conquered the imagination and loyalty of disciples from Tehran and Tampa, from Jabalya and Germany, by taking aim at the ultimate soft target - the West.

The message of a fiery pure Islam - noble in purpose, uncorrupted in practice, egalitarian in its praise for the devout, its splendorous offer of an afterlife available regardless of color, class, or immigration status - galvanized Muslims for whom fate had seemed to hold out only the promise of fresh forms of injustice, deeper humiliation, a more ashen sense of alienation.

For generations following World War II, millions of Muslims, some refugees, some self-displaced persons, sought a better life in distant Western lands. But the rapid changes, loudly trumpeted advancements, and just-beyond-reach prosperity of adopted countries - where foreigners were invited to work hard and do everything to fit in, only to be shunned - served to set the immigrant generation and its children further adrift.

In "guest worker" neighborhoods across Western Europe, in immigrant neighborhoods across North America, in college towns throughout the West where bright, hopeful, ultimately dismayed students from the Muslim world came to study, the anchor and the buoy of a timeless, vigorous, welcoming, sheltering, socially-conscious, supportive Islam came as succor to the downhearted.

For some of the young, well-versed - as are all children of immigrants and brain-drain wannabees - in the moral deficiencies of the host country as well as the way-uncool cultural baggage of their parents, the anti-Western message of the New Jihad gave names, context, and validation to their nagging sense of the stranger in an all-too-familiar strange land.

A few made the leap. They took training in Afghanistan. They took up arms. They set up charitable organizations which funneled donations both to the Muslim needy and the Muslim armed.

Through it all, they studied the glaring vulnerabilities of the societies of America, Europe, and Israel. The conclusion was clear. In the cyclical worldview of Islamic history, the historic victories of the past were about to be echoed with stunning, irresistible force. The West would be baited to destroy itself.

And so it is today, the prophecies of the likes of Bin Laden and the Iranian ayatollahs, much as they may revile each other, seeming to come true in the U.S.-British nightmare in Iraq, and in the Israeli nightmare in Lebanon, the Galilee, and on the Gaza border.

How could it be otherwise? The Koran is behind them. Mohammed's history and prophecy is behind them. Martyrdom is a sacrament, and the portal to paradise. Even death is victory. Death is behind them as well. The Trade Center, the Cole, Bali, Madrid, Faluja, all is victory.

They can't lose, they reason, these young people. These soldiers of Allah. There is nothing to stop them.

Nothing, that is, except time.

There is a reason that the jihadist movement in Iran and elsewhere is in such a hurry. It's time is about to run out.

The New Jihad, for all of its sense of The Future Belongs to Me, is subject to the same general principles that have governed all great revolutions in modern times. It is the biological clock that may be called the Generations of Abraham Effect.

The model, of course, derives from Genesis and from our common ancestor, the prototype of the contemporary revolutionary, the shatterer of idols.

The Bolshevik revolution, the Zionist revolution, no less than the Puritan revolution of the 17th Century and the settler revolution of our own day, flowered, conquered, and withered according to the same dramatic, ultimately tragic road HEWN by Abraham, his dutiful, duped, over-burdened and self-sacrificing son Isaac, and Isaac's neurotic, holier-than-thou mama's-boy of a son, Jacob.

These, then are the generations of Abraham, the family bell-curve of the rise and ruin of revolutions:

The movement is founded by Abraham-like prophets who were raised within the traditions of a decaying regime. Their children, the generation of Isaac, are born under the sign of sacrifice, giving their lives, often literally, for the sake of their parents' cause.

The third generation, the quirky, feisty, dualistic generation of Jacob, often determines whether a revolution will turn into a lasting institution, as in the case of the United States and France, or end its reign in the dustbin of history, as in the Soviet example.

In the last years of the 20th century, the Abrahams of the New Jihad, men like the Ayatollah Khomeni, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, and the prodigy patriarch Osama Bin Laden, ordered their Isaacs into the field. The generation of Abraham/Ibrahim extolled suicide bombings as the weapon of choice against a vastly better-armed West.

What is beginning to trouble the New Jihad now, however, is the rise of the generation of Jacob, a personality split between the personas of the wily, selfish, faith-conflicted youth who wrestles with the burdens of revolution, and the CEO who takes a revolution and begins its transition to a stable institution, a nation willing to co-exist in prosperity and stability with others, rather than a force to impose and spread revolutionary doctrine.

Look closely at Iran, Hamas-ruled Gaza, and Hezbollah-ruled Shi'ite southern Lebanon. Listen to the voices of discord. increasingly, voices in Iran call for reform, for a change of course which favors domestic social and economic well-being over exports of the raw materials of revolution.

For the first time, residents of Gaza are beginning to openly say that much of the current economic disaster in the Strip is the result not solely of the Israeli occupation, but also of Palestinian mismanagement and partisan cronyism.

Listen, also, to the criticism leveled by rival jihadists at one another. This week, former Iranian president Mohammed Khatami condemned "the barbarous acts" of September 11, as well as Bin Laden, "First, because of the crimes he conducts - and second because he conducts them in the name of Islam, the religion which is a harbinger of peace and justice."

Revolution is a dream which shatters in the course of coming true. Islam is timeless, but the unbridled terrorist groups who operate in its name, are not.

In the end, moderate Muslims will prevail over the jihadists, who have sullied their name, the name of Islam, and, indeed, even the word jihad.

In the end, moderate Muslims will gain the upper hand over hothead spokesmen in the West, if only to save Islam, and its good name, from Islamists.

 

I turned on the news today.  Thurs Sept 28   Headline stories: 

**LAKELAND,  Fla. -  A man who had been pulled over for a traffic violation shot two sheriff's deputies Thursday, killing one of them and prompting an intensive manhunt that forced a lockdown at three schools, officials said. ** (note: the deputy's German Shepherd was also killed)

**BAILEY, Colo. — Outside the high school where a gunman held his daughter hostage, John Keyes sent her a text message: "How are U?"

His daughter replied with four words: "I love U guys." They were her last to her family.

.....the gunman took six girls hostage inside their English class and sexually assaulted some of them.

 

When I was about 11 years old, my friends and I would pitch in for the National Enquirer and (of course) hide it from our parents.  There were stories like "Woman Gives Birth To Fish"  There were also many stories about aliens from outer space.  (I'm not sure if they were here legally.)

When I saw "Men in Black" I laughed, but maybe Tommy Lee Jones was telling Will Smith the truth and those are the real stories. 

They certainly make a lot more sense to me.

I'm not in the mood for politics or even a late evening rant about road rage or rising prices or 700 mile fences. I just read the news and wonder if we're already being poisoned by chemical warfare. Maybe it's the only way I can understand some of the insanity. I need to blame it on our drinking water.

Has society gone completely mad or is there just more media coverage of these atrocities? Last week the body of a 6 year old girl was found in Northport and we still don't know if 2 year old Trenton Duckett from Leesburg is alive. Before that little 9 yr old Jessica Lunsford was kidnapped from her Homosassa home, tortured, raped and buried alive by neighbor John Couey, who had a record for sex crimes. She was found in a garbage bag clutching her Teddy Bear. In 2004 11 year old Carly Brucia was kidnapped, raped and murdered by Joseph Smith who was, thank goodness, convicted last Nov. In April last year 13 year old Sarah Lunde was strangled to death by 36 year old David Onstott, a registered sex offender. (So far I've only mentioned Florida crimes.)

Tonight was one of those times I had to stop to read the headline over & over until it made any sense. Well, it still doesn't and probably never will. A woman in East St. Louis has been charged with cutting the fetus from her "friend's" womb which led to her death and the death of the 7 month old unborn child. She also killed the "friend's" other 3 children by drowning them and then stuffing their bodies into a washing machine and dryer. If I saw this on an episode of Law & Order SVU I probably wouldn't believe it. Last week another woman was arrested in MO for slitting a woman's throat and kidnapping her infant. Fortunately the baby was rescued unharmed. Also in MO a woman will soon go on trial for “snatching” a baby from the womb of a woman in Skidmore. (the news article used that word. How do you 'snatch' a baby from a womb?)

Another incident reported in the news today took place in Baton Rouge. A man abducted his estranged wife and little girl on Friday from her relative's home and drove along the interstate stabbing her with a kitchen knife over and over again. She jumped to run for help, so he began to repeatedly stab his 2 year old. Both the toddler and the mother are in serious condition. 

So, as I first wrote, some mad scientist or hateful terrorist must be experimenting with chemicals that force people to commit acts of violence a normal person couldn't possibly imagine. 2 target areas might be FL and select neighborhoods near St. Louis or Baton Rouge. To be fair, I searched inside my mind, my heart and my gut and tried to get to the darkest place. I'm told we all have a Dark Side that raises its ugly head on those days when everything seems to go wrong. Right now I have a very bad toothache and I can think of all sorts of terrible things I want to say to my dentist. Still, even if I were to act out in anger or pain, nothing I would do comes remotely close to committing a violent crime. Now look at today's paper. My Dark Side is not only in a different Ball Park. It's not even in the same Dimension.

Guess I'm lucky I only drink bottled water.

This was in response to Todd's Blog today, but I wrote so much that I decided to post it as a separate entry. 

Assuming we're talking about the same Bill Clinton, what I saw (and also read word for word) was an eloquent, well educated man who had total control of the English language trying to answer a question while a rude television personality interrupted him each time he continued to speak.

This was the old "Do you still beat your wife" trick and Mr. Clinton had every right to be defensive. He was invited on a show to discuss his current projects and how he is helping to save lives around the world. After all, this man is not President, is he? He could be playing golf or cruising around the world on a private yacht. His job in Washington is over.

I have never in my life heard a current administration continually blaming the former living President for the world troubles of the present.  Maybe I never paid enough attention, but hasn't Bush been our Nation's leader for almost 6 years? (I realize he's taken a lot of vacations.)

You'll all laugh at me, but this garbage reminds me of the men who blame their ex-wives for all their problems. Then they're asked how long they've been divorced. "Oh, she left in 1985." Well get over it Honey! Has George Bush done such a horrible job as President that he and his supporters need to keep telling the American public that "I didn't do it. It was Bill Clinton!" If Bush and Cheney had achieved a lot in the White House, then the Republicans wouldn't need to slander the Democrats so much. They could promote the Party on the current administration's accomplishments rather than what the other guy did or didn't do, including bringing up his past sex life. I'm no politician, but if I was asked at a job "Why should you get the promotion?" and I answered "because Mary really screwed up and Bob is bad" I doubt if it would go over very well.

Mr. Clinton admitted that he tried and he failed. (So did at least 3 other Presidents, including the current one.) One difference is that Clinton couldn't get any support from the Republicans when he asked them to take Osama bin Laden seriously. So I'd be a little ticked off too if, before an election, the Republicans started to twist the truth and present it to the American public as historically accurate.  9 well respected historians, FBI agents, Richard Clarke and the 9/11 Commission all agree that a lot of the scenes in the ABC mini series were totally fabricated. Even ABC has come right out and said many things were "made up" to dramatize the program. Clinton was well aware that the question Wallace asked about 9/11 was generated from the reaction to that 'Docudrama.'  (is that in the dictionary?)  Just a small part of the interview was:

***Clinton: Now, I will answer all those things on the merits, but first I want to talk about the context in which this arises. I’m being asked this on the Fox network. ABC just had a right-wing conservative run in their little Pathway to 9/11, falsely claiming it was based on the 9/11 Commission report, with three things asserted against me directly contradicted by the 9/11 Commission report.

And I think it’s very interesting that all the conservative Republicans, who now say I didn’t do enough, claimed that I was too obsessed with bin Laden. All of President Bush’s neo-cons thought I was too obsessed with bin Laden. They had no meetings on bin Laden for nine months after I left office. All the right-wingers who now say I didn’t do enough said I did too much — same people.***

I think Bill Clinton is in control of his emotions, considering the non-stop criticism from the Right and the interrogation he's had to endure. I mean, didn't these people try to drag him through the mud enough when he was in office? I was really surprised that Ken Starr didn't jump out as a surprise guest from the past...sort of like the 50s show “This Is Your Life!”

BTW, it's so absurd that on the same day that Fox is calling former President Clinton “Crazed” (yes this is how they are FAIRLY and IMPARTIALLY advertising a news interview!!) Jerry Falwell publicly referred to Hillary Clinton as the Devil. Well, he actually didn't say that. What he did was demonize her by saying that Lucifer wouldn't fire up as many people.  I mean, seriously guys...and a recent blog topic on this board was about OTHER people (Liberals perhaps?) spreading hatred! How low into the gutter are these Right Wing fanatics going to stoop before they start realizing they're flushing their own careers and what's left of their integrity down the toilet?

Oh, just a side note here. I read that during Mr. Falwell's conference he assured everyone during the prayer breakfast that "God would preserve a Republican majority in Congress."

You mean I've been praying to a Republican? No wonder I never win anything in the Lottery.   Dang! 

Someone sent me this list of classified ads.  I have no idea if they are real, but they're cute! 

 

*  FREE Yorkshire Terrier:  8 yrs. old.  Hateful little bitch.  Bites.

* FREE PUPPIES:  1/2 er Spaniel - 1/2 Sneaky Neighbor's Dog.

 

 

 

Lately there have been a lot of blog topics on various groups of people. Politically you have your Liberals and Conservatives, Republicans and Democrats, Right Wing and Left Wing radicals. Socially there are men who like a good sense of humor or a large set of breasts, women who prefer intelligence or a man with money, and both sexes who enjoy a good set of buttocks. Some people are cat lovers, others are dog lovers and some just don't like animals at all. There just doesn't seem to be a nice melting pot of ideas any more like a good leftover stew. Even a good bouillabaisse or jambalaya would have a hard time finding a place on today's menu in the restaurant of "I'm this, you're that."

What I notice in all of these discussions is the practice of generalizing people into specific groups, politically, socially, sexually and intellectually. This text book way of rating people reminds me of the nature programs I watch where I learn about the mating and breeding habits of wildlife. I mean, we all know that giant turtles lay their eggs in the sand and then the little hatchlings dig their way out and scurry to the sea, hoping to avoid hungry predators. So if someone put you in a room with 100 other humans, are you bound to think, walk, talk and feel the same way as some of them? Maybe, maybe not.

This thought came to mind today as I wandered down the cereal aisle at the supermarket. So many choices, too little time. I started to wonder about all those different shapes & sizes and why General Mills, Kellogg's and Post offer such a wide variety. Oatmeal is very simple, that is, unless you start getting into all the different instant varieties. Quaker has names like Weight Control, Supreme, Lower Sugar and a new Crunchy oatmeal. I guess this new one is targeted for the multi-tasking crowd, since you are eating both oatmeal and regular cereal at the same time. Add some fruit and I bet you're really pushing the envelope. Then I saw a box that said “Nutrition For Women.” I guess that means it's not really good for men or, if eaten, they'll start retaining water every month. The “Take Heart” variety is supposed to be really good for your heart, so I guess the other oatmeal is full of crap that clogs your arteries.

Anyway, after noticing that in each box of cereal there are different shapes and sizes, some with sugar, nuts or little red berries and others with more fiber than eating carpet, I figured that the cereal people are onto something big. They realize that people enjoy variety and their tastes can run hot & cold, smooth & crunchy, and they often change their minds. In the cereal world, it's really okay to mix the nuts with the berries without starting a war or a revolution and nobody will call you a communist if you happen to slice a banana when you've got the urge. In fact, I think I'll skip the burger and brave a bowl of Crispix for dinner. Call me an iconoclast! 

I always feel as if I should begin each entry with a disclaimer. "I am not a professional writer. This is not a political statement. I am only expressing my feelings today."  I hesitated posting my first entry, because I often just want to throw out a few ideas, not back them up with articles, quotes, dates and statistics. So please just take this for what it is...my opinion from my heart and what's left of my mind.

We all know what racial profiling is.  In fact, even I've done it. However, if someone called me a racist or a bigot, I would protest vehemently, but I know I've crossed the street a few times to avoid someone I suspected might be a threat because of the way he looked. Maybe it wasn't just the color of his skin. It could have been all the tattoos or the body jewelry, or maybe he just didn't look “right” to me. Is it wrong to protect yourself from what you perceive to be potential harm? Of course not.

So what is the difference between self-preservation and hateful discrimination? When average citizens start to panic just seeing someone who “looks like an Arab” and wonders if he's going to throw a bomb in his seat and ruin the family trip to Disney World, the atmosphere is nothing less than unjustifiable paranoia. (By the way, people from Iran are not Arabs) 

If I were planning to bomb an airline, I would probably not board wearing a turban, speaking in a Middle Eastern language or acting suspiciously. I would try to look as American as apple pie. Maybe I'd sport a colorful Hawaiian shirt and khaki shorts or a baseball cap so when Airline Security is detaining the dark-skinned lady wearing a Sari, I can slip by with a nod & a smile.

Last week in Cuba several leaders who are anti-American met in unity. Pretty scary stuff! Iran, North Korea, Zimbabwe, Republic of Belarus, Venezuela...Now wait a minute! Venezuela? Do they wear shumaggs? OMG!  How are we going to find all the Venezuelans in our neighborhoods?

To those of us who spend too much time in front of the boob tube, have you ever noticed how many commercials are promoting health care products? I guess all the healthy people who aren't constipated or don't suffer from the heartbreak of psoriasis or itchy athlete's foot are out enjoying life.

However, there's one thing I just don't get. Whom are the prescription drug ads targeting? Let's say you have high blood pressure, arthritis, heart disease, acid reflux or many of the other ailments for which you'd seek medical help. So you go to a physician who examines you and orders several very expensive and intrusive laboratory tests. He puts you on a treatment plan and tells you to return in 2 weeks.

One day you're sitting on your couch doubled over clutching onto your heart and gasping for breath after watching a rerun of I Love Lucy. During the commercial break, an actor is playing with his dog and tells you that a drug changed his life. So do you call up your doctor and say “Guess what, Dr. Ripmeoff?  I think those pills you gave me aren't doing the job. This guy on TV told me to get Pound-Away.” What would his response be? “Well, shoot. I probably missed that one. What channel? I've got to get cable one of these days. I'll call the pharmacy right way.”

Even if you saw the ad before seeking medical attention, how confident would you feel if you needed to suggest a prescription drug to a doctor in whom you are trusting your very existence?  Was he playing golf the day they taught Atrial Fibrillation 101? “Gee, I never even heard of that one. Let me turn on Channel 7 and see if I can get a little more information about about the side effects.”

That's another thing I don't understand. After the pretty ad showing people dancing on top of a mountain, the announcer lists all of the side effects from the drug. Now, let's say you have liver disease and your doctor has been prescribing this drug, would you call him/her immediately and say “the guy on TV says I shouldn't take Fartnomore for my Irritable Bowel if I have a liver problem.” 

One of the most common prescriptions advertised is for “E.D.” I realize that's an acronym for erectile dysfunction, but I have to wonder if, since it's on television, someone wasn't thinking of “Mr. Ed” when first coming up with the catchy name. There is one Viagra ad that is way too unrealistic. A man is watching a baseball game. He sees the hitter slamming the ball high into left field and his wife gives him a nod to say “I want you.” So he pops a tape into the VCR and heads to the bedroom. Get real! I mean, these 2 people live together and during the very moment the home team might get a grand slam she gets horny and he jumps? This ad isn't about impotence, it's about a wife who is a control freak. He doesn't need Viagra, he needs a set of balls.

Well it's time to head out for dinner. I just hope if, God forbid, I get sick on some bad fish or contaminated spinach and am rushed to the hospital tonight, everyone in the ER has been tuning into the latest commercials.

This is my first entry on my blog.  Well, to start I'll admit I'm not as eloquent at expressing my feelings as some members, but I do know what is in my heart. I won't post articles to make a point. You can watch the 11:00 news or read the newspaper. I'm not Left, Right or even somewhere in the Middle. I'm just an American who used to believe there was some kind of sanity and reasoning in government spending. 

During the time I typed the above paragraph, someone in this country probably died of AIDS or another deadly disease for which we need research grants. A child cried out in hunger because we don't have enough programs to shelter and feed the needy. A woman who works 50 hours a week has no health plan that will cover a visit to the doctor, so nobody will detect her cervical cancer before it's too late to save her. An 80 year old woman died alone in her rat infested HUD apartment, because her social security check wasn't enough to keep up with inflation and the price of oil. Another family was evicted from their home, because Dad or Mom (or both) lost their jobs to Outsourcing.

Don't be alarmed!  Today the House approved a bill to build a 700 mile fence along a 2,000 mile border between the United States and Mexico. I'm sure that will be a big comfort, the same way a Band-aid will stop that flesh-eating virus.  At an estimated cost of $2.2 billion, imagine what $3 million per mile would do for your community.

Remember when everyone thought that tougher laws prohibiting the use of marijuana would stop the drug problem in the United States? How about Prohibition? That was a big success. In fact, that time the government decided to keep something illegal out of the country, murder and other crime increased by about 75% and alcohol consumption was at an all time high.

By the way, I strongly believe in protecting our borders. However, here are some little tidbits of information. Not a single hijacker on 9/11 entered the United States by crossing the border illegally through Mexico. Out of the estimated 11 million illegals, about 40% entered this country using a student or work visa and got lost in the system. So why not spend our money wisely by enforcing a system already in place, and make the folks at U.S. Immigration do their jobs instead of creating a new one?

Next they'll be building a wall across Canada. Soon nobody will be able to get in or out. I can just picture a Sunday protest in front of City Hall - One group with signs “America, Love it Or Leave It” and the others yelling back “We can't – there's a big steel barricade in the way.”